Whiffletree trace-holder.



PATENTED JUNE 14, 1904 J. E. JOHNSON.

WHIPFLETREE TRACE HOLDER.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 2. 1904.

N0 MODEL.

-ilk an) Inventor.-

Htcomegs UNITED STATES Patented June 14, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

WHIFFLETREE TRACE-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 762,313, dated June 14, 1904. Application filed March 2, 1904. Serial No. 196,212. N model.)

To all whom, it near/y concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES E. JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Perry, in the county of Vyoming and State of New York, have invented a new and useful lrVhiffletree Trace-Holder, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for preventing accidental displacement of harness-traces from the ends of whiflietrees.

Having experienced considerable annoyance with devices of this character as now in common or general use-as, for instance, the choking with dirt, ice, and the like of the holes formed in the ends of sword-point whiflletrees, the difficulty of inserting the ordinary leather thongs into such holes by reason of the thongs becoming enlarged at their ends, the weakening of the whifl'letrees by forming holes therein for the attachment of trace-holding devices, the loss of parts of such devices, difficulty in manipulating the devices with gloved or mittened hands, and other kindred difiiculties-1 propose to provide an improved device which will obviate these difliculties, and is complete in itself and capable of being readily applied to any ordinary sword-point whiflletree and to trees having the common T-shaped tracehooks without altering the trees in any manner whatsoever.

It is further designed to arrange the device for application to the under sides of whiflletrees, so as to be protected thereby and not liable to have the horses tail catch therein.

Another important object resides in the fact that the device is formed from a single piece of material, thereby to obviate separate and loose parts, and it is also arranged in a form for convenient handling with Inittened or gloved hands.

. While it is preferred to form the device from a single piece of heavy spring-wire, so as to secure the desired spring action in a simple, durable, and inexpensive manner, this spring action may be had by the employment of a separate spring, and it will therefore be understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device of the present invention applied to a whifl'letree having a T-shaped tracehook. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the present trace-holder applied to a sword-point whiflletree. Fig. 3 is an inverted plan view of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the trace-holder removed from the whiflietree.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in each and every figure of the drawings.

Referring at first more particularly to Fig.-

4 of the drawings, it will be seen that the present device is formed from a single length of heavy spring-wire, which is twisted into a spring-coil 1 near one end'of the wire, so as to form a comparatively short rigid shank 2 and a relatively long arm 3, which is capable of an elastic yieldable movement upon the spring-coil as a joint. The outer end of the shank portion is bent upwardly to form a spur or prong 4, which is designed to be driven into the whifiietree for the attachment of the device. At the outer free end of the arm the wire is bent upwardly at substantially right angles thereto with the extremity of the wire bent into a flat loop 5, disposed substantially in the vertical plane of the arm to constitute a finger-piece. The intermediate portion of the upstanding part of the wire is kinked or bent, as at 6, to form a seat for the reception of the tree.

For an understanding of the application of .the present device attention is particularly called to Fig. 3 of the drawings, wherein has been shown the under side of one end portion of a whifiletrec 7. The shank portion of the present device is placed flat against the under side of the tree, with the spur or prong 4 driven into the tree, and a suitable fastening, such as a staple 8, is employed to rigidly fasten the intermediate portion of the shank to the tree.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings the whiifletree has been shown equipped with a T-shaped whiflletree-hook and an ordinary trace 10, the eye of which embraces the projected shank portion of the hook in the usual manner. It will here be noted that the upstanding portion of the device having the seat 6 is located in front of and beyond the outer end of the tree, so as to embrace the front end of the head of the T-shaped hook, said head preferably having a notch 11 therein for the reception of the offset portion of the keeper 6.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that the upstanding portion at the outer end of the arm forms a guard or keeper lying transversely across the outer side of the trace, thereby to prevent the latter accidentally working loose from the hook. By reason of the spring movement of the arm 3 the latter may be conveniently drawn away from the whifiietrce-hook, so as to permit application and removal of the trace; but accidental disengagement of the trace is eifectually prevented. Morever, as the greater portion of the device is located upon the under side of the tree it is out of the way and not liable to be engaged by the horses tail. When applied to a sword-point whiffletree, as shown in Fig. 2, the upstanding guard or keeper is located at a point inwardly from the outer extremity of the tree, with its seat or bowed portion receiving the front edge of the tree, whereby the guard or keeper extends transversely across the outer side of the trace and prevents the latter from working off of the tree.

lVhile the device has been shown and described as applied to different kinds of whiffietree ends, it will be noted that no change whatsoever is required in the holder, and neither is any change required in the swordpoint tree. The formation of the notch 11 in the T-shaped hook 9, while desirable, is not absolutely necessary, and therefore it is apparent that neither the trees nor the holder require alteration in the application shown and described.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

1. A whiifletree trace-holder comprising a rigid attaching member, an arm having a spring joint connection therewith, and a keeper projected transversely from the free end portion of the arm, said keeper being provided with an intermediate whiifletree-receiving seat disposed in a plane at substantially right angles to that which is common to the arm and keeper, and the outer free end of the keeper being provided with a finger-piece disposed transversely with respect to the seat.

2. The combination with a whiffletree, of a trace-holder connected to the tree and having a spring-actuated arm working in a substantially horizontal plane and provided at its free end with a transversely disposed guard or keeper having an intermediate whiflietree-receiving seat.

3. The combination witha whiffietree, of a trace-holder having an arm applied to the under side of the whiffietree and working transversely across the same, a guard or keeper rising from the free end portion of the arm and provided with an intermediate whiffltreereceiving seat, and a finger-piece rising from the upper end of the keeper, said finger-piece being the only portion of the holder upon the upper side of the whiflietree.

4:. A whiffletree trace-holder formed of a single length of wire twisted intermediately into a spring-coil which divides the wire into a shank and an elastic arm, the outer end of the shank being bent transversely into an attaching prong or spur, the outer end of the arm being bent in the same direction as the prong to form a guard or keeper with its intermediate portion kinked or bowed to form a seat disposed in a plane at substantially right angles to that which is common to the arm and prong, and the outer end of the keeper being formed into a finger-piece.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES E. JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

Monnis A. LOVEJOY, JAMES B. VAN Scores. 

